Using the law to bring
hopeBy Liz Mineo/ Staff WriterFriday, February 25, 2005

For Framingham
lawyer SaherMacarius,
having won a recent landmark case that could help thousands of immigrants
adjust their legal status is more than a personal victory.

SaherMacarius
recently won a landmark case that could help thousands of immigrants adjust
their legal status. (Staff photo by Bill Thompson)

It's an accomplishment he
cherishes not only because it brings prestige and more business to his law
practice, but mainly, he says, because it can bring hope to many people who can
benefit from the ruling.

"I'm thrilled because the
ruling has brought happiness to my client," said Macarius
at his Walsh Way
office. "But I'm more thrilled because it can bring happiness to a lot of
people I don't know."

The ruling, issued Jan. 5 by
the 1st Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, can help thousands of immigrants married
to U.S. citizens obtain
green cards without having to leave the United States.

The case was brought by WissamSuccar, a Lebanese
national who sought asylum in 1998. Without the ruling, Succar,
who married a U.S.
citizen in 2001, while his asylum case was pending, would have been deported
and barred from re-entering the country for up to 10 years. Succar,
who is now waiting to receive his green card, was represented by Macarius.

For Macarius,
52, helping people is the best part of being a lawyer. And being an immigration
attorney allows him to help many more people due to the impact of rulings in
other courts across the nation.

"Being an immigration
lawyer suits my desire to help people," said Macarius.
"A friend of mine was asked the other day if this case would make me rich.
He told the person, `He's already rich.' Not because of the money, but because
of all the opportunities to help I can have. Since I was young, I've always
liked to help people. It's part of my nature."

Growing up in his native Egypt and
working as a police officer with a law degree there, Macarius
helped people out as much as he could, he said. While studying law in Massachusetts, he took
courses on immigration law to help friends and acquaintances who wanted advice
on immigration issues. And teaching Sunday school at his church is also part of
his efforts to help people.

A practicing Christian, Macarius attends St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church in Natick. The Coptic church is based on the teachings of St. Mark, who traveled
to Egypt
in 61 A.D. The name Coptic comes from the Greek name for Egypt, Aigyptos, and
refers to Christians from Egypt.
Coptics represent between 10 and 15 percent of Egypt's
population. The main religion in Egypt is Islam.

Being a Coptic in Egypt was not
easy, said Macarius. There are hardly any Coptics who hold positions of power in Egypt, and
attacks against Coptics from Muslim fundamentalists
have increased in the past decades in that country. Macarius
feels grateful to the United
States, where he can practice his faith
freely.

"Church is the most
important thing in my life, more important than anything else," said Macarius, who came here in 1984 looking for better
opportunities. "It's my beginning and my end. I can stop being a lawyer,
but I can never stop being a Christian."

Being an immigrant himself
helps Macarius do a better job as an immigration
lawyer, he said. Like many immigrants, Macarius
worked hard to climb up the ladder and chase his American dream. After he came
here, he worked hard to master his English skills and while studying to become
a lawyer, he worked as an account manager for a health clinic in East Boston.

"It really helps me
understand people and be more sensitive to their plights," he said.
"I know what it means to get a green card. I know what everything meant to
them."

After the ruling, Macarius received dozens of calls and messages from lawyers
who wanted to congratulate him and people who asked him for advice on their
cases. A modest man, Macarius has a hard time with
being in the spotlight, but he's willing to do it if that helps him help more
people.

"I wish I could serve
everybody who needs help," he said. "I'm happy I'm helping people to
get what they're entitled to."